"He thought he’d be able to make it to Waco for the race. Unfortunately, as I can only assume must happen often, things changed and he was not able to leave and be with us for this marathon."

Undeterred, the soldier convinced his commanding officer to run the race where he was serving.

"He chose not only to run the race, but to do it in full gear, which he explained added about 40-45 pounds," Gaines said. "So I figured if he could run in 90-degree heat with an added 45 pounds on his back, I could at least honor him with my tool belt. And I did."

When I got into this, I "thought" marathoners were crazy. Well, now I know they are. But Crazy in all the best ways. Crazy dedicated. Crazy supportive. Crazy loyal. The #SiloDistrictMarathon was beautiful & painful. Full of camaraderie & competition. It was more than I imagined!!

"Drake, my oldest, ended up running 14 miles with me," said Gaines. "He started running up ahead to water stations, grabbing me a cup, and then running it back to me so I wouldn’t have to stop. He was taking care of me."

So, any plans to run another marathon?

"Not a chance. I’m kidding! But only kind of," he said. "Right now I can tell you with complete confidence that I have no plans to run another 26.2. BUT that’s not to say I won’t change my mind tomorrow."